Same opponent, similar result

Boston Olympiakos 3:0 Green Briar FC

A much better performance from the Green Briar against a talented Olympiakos side but the result was no better than that in the Cup a few days earlier. A 3:0 scoreline does not tell the whole tale of the game however, as the Briar enjoyed much more of the play on this occasion but once again self-inflicted mistakes proved costly.

Davey Coen and Braima Samati had the ball in the Olympiakos net on three occasions between them, only for some tight, if not questionable offside decisions to go against them. Other opportunities of note included a pair of rasping shots from distance either side of half time from Colin Roux and from Tom Caldwell. A stone wall penalty shout from Ronan Caldwell also came to nought as an ill-advised advantage call from the referee robbed the Briar of the spot kick with the score at 2:0.

Maintaining a balance and shape is always difficult against the Olympiakos outfit, as simple lapses in concentration or wayward passes or on set pieces tend to be capitalized upon with clinical precision. Olympiakos' first goal came from a Briar free kick. Having commited men forward, Janak Altidore didn't get enough purchase on his delivery allowing Olympiakos to break at speed down the right and square to an unmarked Carlos Diniz for the easy tap-in. Promising early play was undone with one simple error.

Minutes into the second half, a give away in the middle by Davey Coen developed into a clear shooting opportunity for Edson Miranda, from inside the area he dispatched a ruthless strike to the top right hand corner of the net. A strike with unbelievable power and precision.

Although Olympiakos were capitalizing on mistakes, the Briar were still well in the contest. Enjoying more of the play on this occasion, there were plenty of chances created and spurned as the second half progressed. A little bit of luck was lacking on the day for the Briar players.

The poor result was capped off with a sloppy third goal when Dupuis was caught between two unmarked Olympiakos attackers in the box, and once again the Olympiakos goal seemed all too easy.

Yet again the Briar team puts in an excellent shift against Olympiakos, working tirelessly and competing for every ball. Unfortunately it was the slight lack of quality in the final third and untimely turnovers in possession that were the difference. Creating more chances than their illustrious opponents was of little consolation to a team that simply didn't get the reward they deserved on the day.

Line Up: Dupuis, Roux, Altidore, Miller, Clarke, McLoughlin, McGuinness, T Caldwell, R Caldwell, Coen, Samati, O'Malley, Treacy, Jones, Hardy, Hannick, Claus